The Bereavement Club was founded by CCF 10 years ago.

The Chinese name “Fate Wind Rendezvous 緣風會” was suggested by a bereaved mother. She said:

Fate brought us together in this realm

Yet, helplessly faded away like wind

Look forward to our rendezvous in heaven

CCF decided to adopt the name because it reflects the heartfelt wishes of the bereaved parents.

The purpose of the Club is to provide a platform for the bereaved parents. Through a range of activities, they are able to get to know each other, to share their feelings and to provide mutual support. In the past 10 years, there were over one hundred families joining the Bereavement Club. Reaching its 10th year, with the current update on the Club’s memberships, there are over 80 families actively involved.

The Club has been organising a varieties of activities, such as setting up grief support groups for parents in different hospitals or with different religions, art therapy groups, handicraft groups, lectures, memorials, meditation classes, balloon twisting classes, sports activities such as yoga, Wing Chun, etc., and also sightseeing and outdoor activities for the whole family.

On Mother’s Day 2017, the Bereavement Club organised a large-scale memorial at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Mother’s Day is one of the saddest and most difficult days for the bereaved mothers. The memorial was held to let them know that they are not suffering alone and there are others who understand their feelings.

The event allowed parents who have lost a child to mourn together. Besides the memorial, the Club also invited Mr Chan Chi Ho, the Associate Professor of the Social Work Department of The Hong Kong Chinese University to give a talk on “Forgotten or Unforgettable?” After the talk, a coach took over 80 attendees to the Tai Po Water Front Park and Nai Chung to release “Love Balloons” into the sky. The balloons were all written with love messages on how they miss their child. They hope that their little angel in heaven will receive this special gift from the family.

There are different methods and avenues to express and manage emotional pain, that is why CCF set up the Bereavement Club in hoping that, other than the traditional one-on-one counselling, it can use a diversified approach to walk the journey with these bereaved families to support and grow with them. Our way forward, the Bereavement Club will dedicate itself to continuously providing innovative services to serve these families in need.

CCF Newsletter Vol.53 (Feb 2018)